The Land of the Living and the Dead

The old world will die in flames...

Ireland, 1011 AD. Brian Boru is now High King of Ireland. His queen, Gormflaith, instructs their young son in his heritage - but only on his mother’s side. For Gormflaith, an immortal Fomorian skilled in fire-magic, intends to finally defeat the Fomorians’ hated foes, the Descendants, and establish control over Ireland. And if King Brian stands in her way, so much the worse for him...

Fódla, the Descendants’ spy in King Brian’s camp, treads a wary path. She must protect her magically powerful young nephew from their leader, Tomas, who will do anything to achieve his aim of the Descendants returning to the mortal world and ruling Ireland. And Fódla is on dangerous ground, for she has broken one of the sacred rules of the Descendants: she has fallen in love with a mortal.

As the schemes of Gormflaith and Tomas come to fruition, the only possible outcome is war. Ireland has bled red and often... but the coming clash will be a battle for the ages. Strange alliances will form, old defences will fail, and the land will never be the same again.

Reviewers on Shauna Lawless’ Gael Song series

’Lawless blends fantasy with historical fiction to great effect.’ SFX
’Lawless’s writing is absolutely luminous.’ Irish Independent
’Swept me along and refused to be put down.’ H.M. Long

Shauna Lawless is an avid reader of Irish mythology and folklore. As an Irish woman, she loves that Irish mythology has inspired so many stories over the years, however, she wanted to explore the history and mythology of Ireland in a more authentic way. She lives in Northern Ireland with her family. Her Gael Song series has been extensively critically acclaimed. The Land of the Living and the Dead is the third volume in the Gael Song trilogy.

Follow Shauna on @shaunaLwrites and shaunalawless.com